“Their success is the Michael Jordan era," Paul George said after Indiana's 97-80 win over Chicago (via SBNation.com). "This is a new age, this is a new team. It’s ours till they take it.”

George isn't wrong. The Bulls have challenged in the Eastern Conference behind Rose, but the Pacers' success is fresher and they look more prepared to make another run.

The Bulls are still working to overcome injuries and get Rose back to superstar form. But, in the meantime, the Pacers are excelling and Paul George is already playing at a superstar level.

Both things came to a head when the two teams met on Wednesday night when the Pacers dominated the Bulls in almost every facet of the game. That included postgame comments, during which the Bulls lamented their loss and the Pacers promoted their perfect record.

"We got beat in every facet of the game, the rebounding, the defensive transition, turned it over," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We have to play 48 minutes with a good team."

And the Pacers might better than good. Even though it's clear that the Bulls respect them, Rose previously said he doesn't consider the Pacers a rival, pointing to the Heat as the team they're chasing.